Golden Butterflies And Seagulls Over The Bay
by Wangan
Summary: Armsmaster looked at me, I could feel those angry eyes of his burning into me as I took a slow sip from my cup. "Believing oneself to be perfect is often a sign of a delusional mind." I laugh. "Small words from a small being trying to attack what it doesn't understand." Warning: Slow Updates. Not kidding.
1. Chapter 1

Brockton Bay was a lively place at night, even more so during the weekend. Even with the gang issues that plagued the city, people who just got off work would be looking to have a fun time, spend some money, and shake off the cobwebs for the work week.

It was because of these potential customers that most of the bars, clubs, and restaurants stayed open just a little bit later, much to the chagrin of their respective employees. There was money to be made after all.

However, the woman walking with her daughter was nowhere near the crowds in the city proper.

She was wandering the docks, the one section of town that every local avoided like the plague no matter what time of day it was. And it was clear to anyone with eyes that she wasn't a local.

The woman's hair was a sandy brown styled in a hime cut that was just long enough to fall below her shoulders, leaving her bangs to end somewhere close to her chin.

Her skin was fair and her face was just on the right side of pretty without being "hot" and that was leaving out the fact, her clothing, while plain, screamed 'I have money.' A long, black, double-breasted, country-styled gown, combined with what appeared to be a long red skirt, a white dress shirt, ending in a cravat with some yellow symbol stitched onto it tied around her neck.

Her daughter was even more of an oddity, while she had her mother's hair and face(albeit slightly rounder with baby fat) her clothing, a mishmash wouldn't look out of place on a cape costume, certainly drew eyes.

Around her legs, a black skirt with a pink stripe at the bottom and a lacey slip underneath. Going up was a on a pale pink long-sleeve button down shirt, with frills of the same color on the shoulders and the collar.

Over this, was a dark, sort of navy blue corset, of which, on the girl's left side, had the same crest on her mother's cravat in gold yellow at the top, and red ribbon lacing up the front.

In short, what happened next would've been only a matter of time.

Just as the pair passed an alley, there was a quick flurry of movement and two figures stepped in front of her.

A hard cold object was pressed into the small of her back, right above the spine. The tell-tale click of a gun cocking.

"Don't move, bitch." A voice quietly demanded. "Don't turn around."

The attacker's voice was unmistakably male but it was extremely rough, gravely, and dry as if he hadn't drank anything for days. Most likely a side effect of drugs as this was merchant's territory.

"Money. Now. You scream, I shoot the girl first." The man warned.

The woman didn't scream but it wasn't because she was doing as her attacker said. Instead, she breathed a long suffering sigh and reached into her purse crooked in her arm. None of the men surrounding her had a chance to react as she pulled out something that was far too large considering the size of the bag. None of them registered what it until it was too late. The woman spun on her heel, delivering a vicious back kick to the groin of the man behind her before cocking the shortened winchester and firing at the man on the left. Even in the dim light of the docks it wasn't a hard shot to make. The space separating the two of them wasn't even a full yard. Practically a point blank shot later and the man went down like he was clotheslined.

With a cocking of the lever action, she fired into the second man, who only had time to see his partner go down before he too was dropped.

Then she turned to the man behind her, and despite his pleas to be spared and something about having a family, she pressed the barrel to his forehead and finished her work.

With not a hair out of place on her daughter or herself, the woman put the gun back into her bag and, taking her daughter's hand, continued their journey.

In five minutes they reached a dilapidated apartment complex, one of many that lined the docks and entered. Only instead of the inside of a ruined apartment building, the door lead to a opulently decorated hallway that was extremely out of place in building of such disrepair. As she closed the door behind her, the place she was now in was sealed away from the rest of the world.

The woman also knew that person tailing her, since the attempted mugging would no longer be able to follow. She would have take care of it before now, if she hadn't been under strict orders by her mistress, and her observer hadn't interfered like those men had.

"Uuuu~. Mama, now that we're home can I go play with the bunnies?"

She gave her daughter a smile. "Go ahead, as long as they aren't busy." The latter part of her answer had been added as an afterthought but it was doubtful that her daughter heard her as she took off down the hallway as fast as her little legs could carry her.

She a light shake of her head she made her way down the hall until she reached a door which opened as she approached. Not even breaking her stride, she entered and sat down at the table in the middle of the small room. Across the table was her mistress in her usual dress, who had a tea cup rising to her lips.

She waited for her to finish her sip before reaching into her bag and pulling out a file that was nearly half an inch thick and sliding it across the table. "I have collected the documents required for leasing the property as well as applying for the business licenses under mine and Eva's name."

The blonde woman set down the cup and with a wave of the pipe in her other hand, the file rose into the air and began to flip through the pages. After a minute of review, she smiled and sat the file down next to her tea. "Very good, Rosa." She said, voice ringing like the sweetest bell. "I trust there were no issues with acquiring the paperwork?"

"None, Lady Beatrice. Only, on the return trip."

Her mistress raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Rosa nodded. "My daughter and I were accosted two blocks away by three men I believe to be Merchants or associated with them. I took care of them."

"Very good. No witnesses?"

"Only one. Observed me from a distance during the attack yet didn't interfere before or after the event. I suspect a cape but not one affiliated with the PRT or Protectorate. Yet I can't confirm."

The smile on her mistress's' face faded and was replaced by an unreadable expression. "Alright. Thank you for your work. Speak to Eva about your next assignment."

Rosa stood and with a polite bow left the room to do just that.


	2. Chapter 2

As I made my way into the Docks, I could see the quality of my surroundings decline steeply. I took careful notice of a local bar in passing as two burly men carried another large man with a broken nose out and dropped him in a nearby alley. Within the time it took for them to turn their backs another figure came from the other end of the alley and began to search the downed man's pockets.

The figure is gone before I react. I make my way towards the man, take a drag from the thin gold pipe between my lips and breathe. What comes out instead of smoke is a golden wisp that bends and warps in the air as if caught by an unseen breeze before it dives down to the man's face and dissipates. With my magic, his injuries fade as well. Even from this distance I can hear the sharp snap as the man's nose sets itself back into place and blood recedes back into his veins. He's so out of it I doubt he would even feel it if he was awake.

I leave before he regains consciousness.

Each click of my shoes continued to carry me through the worst Brockton had to offer and I felt my distaste of this part of the city growing a notch higher. Aesthetically, the city was beautiful. A distant jewel of the east coast when it was in it's prime. Always from a distance.

Now? Rusted doors jammed open. Walls crumbling from lack of maintenance. Windows cracked, warped and unable to close and some just missing leaving large holes in the building's face. Some had electricity judging by the lights but they were few and far in between compared to other buildings that didn't.

That was also disregarding the stench that made me scrunch up my nose in disgust. The nauseating scent of urine and feces mixed with the musty scent of rot and mold.

However that hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things. My magic could restore each dilapidated building in an instant. Forget about a new coat of paint to cover up the graffiti, the graffiti wouldn't exist.

I'm tempted right now to let my butterflies scour the area in a massive wave of 'community improvement' yet in the long run I know it would be more trouble than it's worth. I'm new to the cape scene and my powers still needed to be tested beyond what I've already done.

Though my furnature and staff had several complaints about my solo trip tonight, my butler being one of the more vocal, insisting I took the imperial guard with me at the very least. On the fatherly concern front he was second only to dad, if he knew I was a cape.

After much discussion, I caved and allowed him to accompany me on my trip on the condition he kept his distance.

I sighed, looking around in case I would spot the tell-tale glint of his monocle in the moonlight. I didn't know where he was at the moment, but I was within his sight no doubt.

Keeping out of sight after helping that man, I continued my patrol as my thoughts began to wander to my powers themselves. First off, whenever I activated them I physically was changed to the point I wasn't able to recognize myself in a mirror.

I went from being Taylor Hebert to someone who could've been the posterchild for the E88 with the three B's. Blonde hair that styled itself in a tight bun, Blue-eyed, Beautiful. With the added extra of bountiful bosom on the side. And the changes weren't just cosmetic. I didn't even need my glasses anymore. In fact, with my power came a whole new wardrobe, if you counted about five or six new outfits that came with it as closet fillers.

My main outfit associated with my power was very 'classical'. I would say retro but even that word implied something relatively modern. This dress, however, was positively ancient, looking like something that belonged at a costume party. It was a dark rich brown with golden designs and ribbons stitched into it. Oh, and a choker. Let's not forget that.

And that was just a single part of my power.

I roll the pipe between my lips in thought. There was also the others I…

 **CH-CLICK.**

The sound of a gun's hammer cocking focuses my mind back to the current moment so quickly that I almost suffer mental whiplash. I blink and suddenly the source of said focus a nine mil Beretta, appears less than half a foot from my face as well as the scowling asian man holding it.

The scowl on his face tells me he's not happy nor are the almost twenty plus men surrounding me in a semi-circle, all of whom have guns pointed right at me. I recognize the colors on their clothes immediately and curse under my breath.

ABB.

From the sheer number of them, I must have absent mindedly walked right into a gang meeting or something. There were even more gang members coming out of the two-story building I found myself stopped in front of.

I'm pretty sure I would be panicking, _should_ be panicking, yet… even with confronting enough firepower to put down a few police stations worth of officers I don't even feel my myself even sweat. In fact, I feel a smile form on my face and the man with the gun at my head, who I will start calling Number 1,actually flinches.

"Good evening, gentlemen." I pull the pipe from my lips and exhale, regular smoke pluming the air around me as I speak. "Is there a problem?"

Number 1 seems to find his his backbone and pushes the cold steel to my forehead. "Bitch, you got some damn nerve walking 'round our house like you own it."

"Your house?" I question, making a show of nonchalantly looking around the quiet street. "Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this a public sidewalk?"

"Don't get smart, you E88 cocksucker."

That actually catches me off guard for a moment before I reconsider my appearance and the situation.

Gang area at night. Blond and blue-eyed. Strolled right up to the ABB. Yeah, actually that isn't too far of a jump when you squint real hard and tilt your head at it. I mean, did I really LOOK like any E88 member? I mean, have you _seen_ the way those skinheads dress?

Nah, that was just an excuse. Not that gang members really need an excuse, but from the looks of the fire power they were either looking for a fight or getting ready to rumble with the E88 tonight.

Only I happened to get in the way.

Ah, fucking hell. I might have just meandered my way into a gang war.

Still the smile never leaves my face as I take a drag from my pipe. "Believe it or not," I begin, as this time golden smoke pours out of my mouth, "Not every white woman is racist nor am I looking for any trouble."

As my butterflies take shape and begin to chime, Number 1 as well as every other ABB member back away from me in unison, almost like a wave. "Shit! Cape!" I hear someone say.

My attention is only on that voice for a moment before another makes itself known. "Well, you've found it." It sounds rough, scratchy. Like a man who's lived a hard life and smoked cigarettes for most of it.

I turn in the direction it came from and recognize the figure almost immediately. It wasn't his considerable size that got my attention though I wonder how I didn't notice him as he was at least a head and shoulders above almost everyone else present.

No, it was his costume, or rather lack thereof. A barechested man with a ornate metal mask faced me, the style of a cape that was as recognizable to Brockton Bay as the Ship Graveyard.

Lung.

Now, somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that if there was ever a time to panic _now_ was the time. I mean, this was fuckmothering LUNG in front of me now. The LUNG that managed to fight an ENDBRINGER to a draw. At least, that's what the internet said. The monster of Japan, Avenger of Kyushu or something like that.

Yeah, of all my research on the man that was a pretty big bullet point. Even if it wasn't true, the fact that kind of rumor was spread about him meant he had to be powerful.

I used my power for the intimidation but now...Now, it seemed I had a bigger issue on my hands because of it.

And now It looked like I was going to have to apologize(Yeah, I can't even think that with a straight face) or fight him. Judging how quickly his men were backing up, the latter was going to happen right now. But I wanted to give my negotiations skills a try. "Do you think you could let me pass and we just go on with our nights?"

His growl was my only answer.

Yet still I smile. I could leave at any time. Just teleport home without even needing to think about it real hard. Hell, I think it got a little wider at the thought of facing down someone so strong. I came out here with the purpose of testing my powers. Looks like I got a chance. "Then en guarde, as they say."

He didn't seem to like that and the palms of his hands begin to glow orange.

I give him a polite curtsey, dissipate my pipe, and form a **truth** in my right hand which morphed into a crimson blade and glowed even brighter than Lung's fire.

Then I lunge. I know I was faster than he was expecting, because he threw himself to the ground in a very undignified way from my swing. His reaction time was exceptional though as I only just managed to clip a horn off his mask with a swing that was meant to separate his head from his shoulders.

He's blasting fire at me with both hands before he gets back to his feet and the flames are visually quite stunning.

A huge yellow almost white stream rolls at me and I don't make any attempt to dodge. Less than a foot away the fire parts before me, my circular shield flaring up in a dim purple light before the flames envelope over it, muting the noise and dampening the light and heat to a level not unlike a warm summer day.

The barrage continues though, completely obscuring my sight of Lung. No doubt he expects me to be ash at the end of this.

I take one of the stances I was taught and ready myself.

Twenty seconds pass then the flames peter out, leaving only smoke to surround me. I tap my foot and the smoke billows upward and away, clearing out the street in seconds.

As soon as I catch sight of Lung I lunge into the 3 yards that separate us, my heels clicking against the softened asphalt.

He's surprised. I know he didn't expect me to be anything but well done at best, crispy at worst. He whips up his right hand and prepares another blast but I'm in range in only three steps

With his right arm extended, he's wide open and he seems to realize it at the exact time I do and I aim to disarm him, emphasis on 'dis-arm.' The swing I make is a textbook slash that goes from his right shoulder to left hip.

"Motherfuck!" He roars. Not in pain, the sound that left his throat couldn't even be classified as human.

Then he explodes. The force of it bounces off my shield and knocks my unprepared behind back at least five feet. Thank god for my shield's nullification, otherwise the concussion not only would've knocked me out but turn everything in my inner ear to pudding.

His clothing shreds from the blast and any litter that survived the fire he first directed at at me no longer was. Not to mention destroying what was left of this section of the block.

He explodes again. This time, I feel the heat and any ABB member anywhere near Lung catches like a gunpowder near a match.

When the cape turned human bomb steps out of the smoke, he's certainly looking less human than before. A good chunk of his body is silvery, reflective, making his flaming hands seem even brighter than before.

It's this moment that I realize for certain that nothing good would come of dragging this fight out.

So I don't.

I teleport behind him.

As I curve **truth** down across this back, I'm actually put off a little by the amount of shear resistance that his neck puts up before it slices through.

The cut nearly slices him in half from near the bottom of his neck, through his spine, and lodging in his hip.

That's all it takes. Nervous system traumatically disrupted, he folds like sheet of paper to the ground. I release my grip on **truth** and the blade fades, replaced with my pipe.

I worry for a moment that I've killed him then just as quickly I'm reminded that I don't really care. Yet, I still put my fingers to his neck. Amazingly, he still has a pulse and even now I can see the injury I've inflicted healing, flesh ever so slowly pulling together like it's nothing more than a costume zipper.

By now, the street is empty. ABB had cleared out long before my finishing blow and I'm certain the noise would've had any civilians avoid this area like the plague.

I relight my pipe as I watch Lung's power suture his body back together. It's quite amazing really, I'm pretty sure not even Alexandria would've survived getting split like that. On the other hand, I don't think anyone's ever tri…

Again, my musing is brought up short. This time by the sudden appearance of a creature roughly the size of your avarage van from a nearby alley across the street followed by two more stalking right up next to it. These latter two had a pair each riding on their backs.

At the very least one of them had to be a cape. There was no other explanation for the creatures they rode. I curse myself for not thinking ahead. If there was one, especially someone as important as Lung, there had to be others nearby. Ones in which I had no clue what their abilities were.

I take a breath as they slide off their mounts, preparing my defences in case of an attack, and ready myself for-

"You really saved us a lot of trouble,"

"Huh?" Yeah, real genius. Let that be the first thing out of your mouth.

"I'm Grue." The guy in a motorcycle leathers and helmet steps forward and reaches out his arm. Before I take his hand I give him an the others with him a good once over. He's covered from head to toe and the only distinguishing feature on him is his helmet with a skull on it.

The only other guy in the group was wearing a white mask and an outfit that wouldn't look out of place at a renaissance faire.

The tallest girl had nothing but a cheap dog mask and (even) cheaper clothes. An outfit that would be very unassuming without said mask.

The last girl was wearing something more traditional. A purple skin tight suit and a domino mask unique enough to be recognized if I ever saw it again.

Not a single one looked ready to fight. Maybe they were heros?

"Beatrice." I shake his hand. "I'm going to assume you saw the flames?"

"Saw the flames?" White mask responds with a laugh. "Shit, we saw the entire fight. Including you bumbling into them."

I can't help the wince that comes. I must've looked like a dumbass walking right towards the ABB like that.

Purple turns White mask and her voice cracks his name out like a whip. "Regent. Could you please not antagonize the one cape in this city to lay out Lung on his ass?"

I notice Grue's helmet shift slightly in Lung's direction so the next question isn't entirely unexpected. "Speaking of," he says, pointing a thumb at said cape. "The fuck you do to him?"

"An unexpected test for my power. Was heading for the docks but the rumored strongest cape in Brockton was good enough."

I'm pretty sure the looks I'm getting are funny ones because they go really still for a few seconds.

"Rumored?" Gure finally asks. I can hear the disbelief edging his voice.

"Yes." I nod, waving my pipe and summon a chair for me to sit comfortably. This may go on for awhile. "With all the hype surrounding that man, I expected him to be much tougher than that. I used only five percent of my power and _still_ dispatched him quickly." Which is true. I had expected him to be much more of a challenge yet the way I say it is...blunt to put it nicely. "Though my reasoning for doing so was to lessen the collateral caused by his fire." I give another wave of my pipe and summon a table and five chairs. On the table are a few baked goods that one would find at english tea time as well as a few extras like sponge cake and a small bowl of candy.

I don't understand why I do this. I don't have the time for it. I know that the fight must've attracted attention from many people including the PRT and local news.

Yet, again, I don't care who sees me.

Still I make an inviting wave to the extra chairs and cups. "Tea?"

That gets the one known as Regent rolling, literally. His legs collapse under him as he laughs himself breathless. The girl in purple's jaw just hangs. The other two...I'm not sure what they're thinking, their masks are far too obstructive. Hell, Dog mask hadn't said anything.

Whatever shock purple had left as she quickly looked in a random direction before turning to Grue. "Cape incoming."

With the quickness of a well greased unit, the four of them mounted the beasts. Even Regent, while still chuckling, was on his feet in no time. "Wanna ride?"

I shake my head, waving away the extra chairs but one. "You four have a nice night."

One of them whistled, I think it was Dog mask, and they bounded into the night.

I should be doing so as well. Another cape means another unknown and I was lucky the first four hadn't attacked. Yet the fact I had beaten Lung, Brockton's resident boogeyman was starting to settle in, and...I felt like I was on top of the world. The best I've felt in a long time. It called for a little celebration even if it was in the middle of a battlefield.

"Ronove, my glasses and To Kill A Mockingbird, please." The moment the words left my mouth, my butler appeared at my side in a flurry of golden butterflies. "And jasmine tea."


End file.
